Missing man with autism is found

MAHWAH — An 18-year old with autism who was reported missing by his parents was found in a nearby storm water drain after police searched for more than two hours, a lieutenant said Tuesday.

The teenager had gotten into an argument with his parents and walked out of his Mcintosh Drive home around 8:20 p.m. Monday, said Lt. Stuart Blank. He said the parents notified township police, who began to search the neighborhood with a canine. Besides six officers from Mahwah, also joining the search were police from Ramsey, the town of Ramapo in New York, and the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office, which provided a helicopter, Blank said.

The teenager was located around 11 p.m., about a block away in a storm drain underneath Lambert Trail, Blank said.

“We called to him and he answered us,’’ Blank said. “He was there for some time, he was quite cold and wet.’’

At first, the lieutenant said, the adolescent did not want to leave the drain, so police contacted his therapist to come to the scene and coax him out.

The teenager was taken to Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.

“It turned out to be a good ending to be able to find him,’’ Blank said.